School age population, primary education, both sexes (number) in Botswana
Botswana: School age population, primary education, both sexes (number) was 362,100 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
362,100
Change on year
up 1.2%
World rank
128th
of 222 countries
All-time high
362,100
in 2025
All-time low
120,976
in 1970
Years of data
56
1970–2025
School age population, primary education, both sexes in Botswana, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2025, school age population, primary education, both sexes in Botswana stood at 362,100. That is the highest value across all 56 years on record.
The figure is up 1.2% on the previous year and up 6.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school age population, primary education, both sexes in Botswana peaked at 362,100 in 2025 and was at its lowest, 120,976, in 1970.
Botswana ranks 128th of 222 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 56 years of available data.
School age population, primary education, both sexes (number) in Botswana, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 120,976 | — |
| 1971 | 122,483 | +1.2% |
| 1972 | 126,266 | +3.1% |
| 1973 | 135,377 | +7.2% |
| 1974 | 140,522 | +3.8% |
| 1975 | 145,563 | +3.6% |
| 1976 | 151,155 | +3.8% |
| 1977 | 157,083 | +3.9% |
| 1978 | 163,073 | +3.8% |
| 1979 | 170,912 | +4.8% |
| 1980 | 178,603 | +4.5% |
| 1981 | 177,167 | -0.8% |
| 1982 | 184,545 | +4.2% |
| 1983 | 192,242 | +4.2% |
| 1984 | 200,315 | +4.2% |
| 1985 | 208,637 | +4.2% |
| 1986 | 218,773 | +4.9% |
| 1987 | 230,279 | +5.3% |
| 1988 | 241,130 | +4.7% |
| 1989 | 250,272 | +3.8% |
| 1990 | 259,108 | +3.5% |
| 1991 | 267,461 | +3.2% |
| 1992 | 276,002 | +3.2% |
| 1993 | 283,448 | +2.7% |
| 1994 | 289,061 | +2.0% |
| 1995 | 295,564 | +2.2% |
| 1996 | 297,933 | +0.8% |
| 1997 | 299,645 | +0.6% |
| 1998 | 300,704 | +0.4% |
| 1999 | 301,338 | +0.2% |
| 2000 | 301,744 | +0.1% |
| 2001 | 302,321 | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 301,903 | -0.1% |
| 2003 | 299,605 | -0.8% |
| 2004 | 297,149 | -0.8% |
| 2005 | 295,339 | -0.6% |
| 2006 | 294,147 | -0.4% |
| 2007 | 293,986 | -0.1% |
| 2008 | 294,862 | +0.3% |
| 2009 | 297,423 | +0.9% |
| 2010 | 301,621 | +1.4% |
| 2011 | 306,900 | +1.8% |
| 2012 | 312,656 | +1.9% |
| 2013 | 322,901 | +3.3% |
| 2014 | 331,806 | +2.8% |
| 2015 | 339,113 | +2.2% |
| 2016 | 344,929 | +1.7% |
| 2017 | 349,413 | +1.3% |
| 2018 | 351,458 | +0.6% |
| 2019 | 351,547 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 350,238 | -0.4% |
| 2021 | 349,157 | -0.3% |
| 2022 | 349,284 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 353,280 | +1.1% |
| 2024 | 357,796 | +1.3% |
| 2025 | 362,100 | +1.2% |
Botswana compared with similar countries
- Botswana's 362,100 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 510,283, 71% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Botswana's 362,100 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 2.37 million, 15% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 143,341 | 120,976 | 170,912 | 10 |
| 1980s | 208,196 | 177,167 | 250,272 | 10 |
| 1990s | 287,026 | 259,108 | 301,338 | 10 |
| 2000s | 297,848 | 293,986 | 302,321 | 10 |
| 2010s | 331,234 | 301,621 | 351,547 | 10 |
| 2020s | 353,642 | 349,157 | 362,100 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Botswana
More education data for Botswana
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 15,284 (2021)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 9,590 (2022)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 20,760 (2022)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 20,779 (2022)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 175,513 (2021)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 381,674 (2022)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 4.49 % change on previous year (2022)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2022)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1564 units per person (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school age population, primary education, both sexes in Botswana?
- School age population, primary education, both sexes in Botswana was 362,100 in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school age population, primary education, both sexes recorded in Botswana?
- The highest recorded value was 362,100 in 2025.
- What is the lowest school age population, primary education, both sexes recorded in Botswana?
- The lowest recorded value was 120,976 in 1970.
- How does Botswana rank for school age population, primary education, both sexes?
- Botswana ranks 128th out of 222 countries with data for 2025.
- Is school age population, primary education, both sexes rising or falling in Botswana?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Botswana data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of School age population, primary education, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 56 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release